Immortals
by Angry Pencil Wielder
Summary: The battle may be over, but for the Power Rangers, the war has just begun. Left in the ashes of Angel Grove, the green power coin finds a new user. Enter Tommy Oliver, the Ranger's destruction, and their salvation. (Jason/Kim, bi-Trini, trans-Tommy)
1. Prologue: In Ashes

**Prologue: In Ashes**

* * *

Dust chocked the air, making it hard to breath. Sunlight hazed through the floating dirt. And there, barely a shadow, but something so much more, was _it._

The creature.

The savior.

A massive, robotic being that towered over the decimated town.

Tommy Oliver blinked up at the massive thing. It stood so still, he could almost imagine it were an immovable object rather than the war machine he's seen it be moment before.

The illusion was shattered when the titan shifted. Its head turned, looking over the growing crowd around it. The creature shifted its weight, and Tommy could almost imagine it looking confused. Or maybe overwhelmed. As if the hoard of people gawking up at it were something completely bizarre and alien to it.

And then it started dancing.

Not that Tommy could really call it dancing, but the movements it was making, what other name was there? Like some strange victory ritual, the mech rolled its hips in a parody of dance.

Then it stopped just as suddenly. Frozen for a moment, as if thinking to itself. Then the creature knelt before the massive crater it had risen from. With one long (so long) arm, it reached down into the hole. From it, the mech slowly pulled out a glowing green mass of crystals.

It cradled the crystals carefully against its chest, then turned and made it way out of the destroyed city. The tremble in the ground slowly faded as it left.

Then, there was silence.

That silence was slowly broken as the people of Angel Grove began to move, like coming out of a dream.

Tommy gasped a lungful of air, not realizing he'd been holding his breath. His hands were shaking. Really, his whole body was shaking. His legs felt like jelly, his chest full of rocks.

Fear perhaps, or excitement, he really didn't know.

Slowly, he began to move. Like a statue, coming back to life for its nightly stroll, he moved stiff limbs and began wandering aimlessly like so many other people.

A glint of green drew his attention, finally breaking through the haze Tommy found wrapping around his senses.

He knelt to get a closer look. Brushing away debris, a dirt covered stone was revealed. Carefully, with a reverence unusually but oddly called for, Tommy picked up the stone. Brushing away the dirt and grime with his thumb, the brilliant green of the stone was revealed. Its faceted surface reflected the sunlight in a way that reminded Tommy of… oh god.

He dropped the stone as if it burned him.

It was like that woman, the one who controlled the monsters, the one with the green armor and golden staff and-

 _shhhhh_

Tommy's thoughts trailed off, a sudden calm overcoming his panic. It was just a rock, after all. It couldn't hurt him. Just a green rock, what were the odds it was in any way related to the woman and the horror that happened just minutes before?

(very good)

(it's fine)

Tommy picked up the stone once more. It felt smooth and warm in his hands. Felt… right almost, like it fit there. It wasn't evil. It was comforting.

A comfort like he remembered dimly from his mother, years ago before…

Tommy breathed deep through his nose. He was okay. Everything was okay. Movement pulled his attention from the stone (coin) and back to reality. People were coming.

Tommy jumped to his feet and hid the coin safely in his jean pocket.

It had to be protected.

What from, he didn't know.

But he knew it was important. Very, very important.

Tommy ran all the way home. Through the busted streets and collapsed houses he ran.

Angel Grove might have been a beautiful place, fifty years ago. With the ocean on one side and a range of mountains on the other, the lands was beautiful. But the economy had hit hard, a hurricane even harder. The seaside town never recovered.

From one ratty, rundown neighborhood to the next he ran, until he came to the rattiest and most rundown.

He ran through the old, familiar streets, now littered with debris and dazed people.

Right to the front door of a house whose white paint looked more grey than anything else and windows cracked and grimy.

He reached into his pocket and brought out a ring of keys. Choosing one on feel rather than sight (hundreds of times used, thousands) he put it in the lock and turned. The old door opened with a groan and he pushed his way inside, letting the old wood close behind him.

The wallpaper inside was peeling, the furniture old and discount bought. But it was home, the only one he could remember. The building held so many memories, some good, most not so much.

Tommy walked through the small entry, past the kitchen, the living room, his mother's bedroom, till he came to the last in the line.

The door was just as cracked and old as the rest, but behind it was his favorite place. The only place he ever felt safe.

Opening that door and stepping into that room, Tommy felt his shoulders relax, his breath come easier. The tension from the day left him. He let himself collapse onto his desk chair. It made a squeak of protest against his (rather slight) weight, but it was weak and halfhearted. The chair was easily as old as he was.

From his pocket, Tommy took out the coin. Carefully he placed it on his wooden desk (unstable, one leg shorted and held up by books). It sat there on the smooth wood, worn with age and hands, almost glowing in the evening light.

"What are you?" Tommy muttered to himself. He (carefully) pushed the coin aside. From a drawer, he pulled a lined notebook. He flipped past pages of math homework to a new sheet. Grabbed a pencil, and set it down on the page.

He began to draw. Tommy was by no means an artist. He could get by with something semi-realistic, but it was in no way a talent.

But he wanted to remember what he was today.

Needed to.

He drew out the golden monster. The five machines, and the massive one they formed together. The brightly colored warriors, armor so different than anything he'd ever seen before.

He paused for a moment, tugged on his tee-shirt and the fabric beneath in annoyance, before continuing the sketches.

So engrossed he was in the drawings, he didn't notice the sound of the front door opening. He only realized his mother was home until she called his name. His hated name.

"Trish?! Are you here?"

Tommy froze, pencil hovering over the unfinished sketch of one of the rock creatures. He swore under his breath, tossed the notebook to the desk and raced towards his closet. Jerked the door open, and searched through the piles of cloths for one specific thing. Tommy grabbed the sports bra, struggled out of the tee-shirt and the binder beneath, then wrestled the bra on.

He'd barely tugged on a tank top when his bedroom door opened and his mother stepped through.

"Trish, there you are. Why didn't you answer me?"

Tommy shrugged, awkwardly shifting from one foot to the other. "Sorry mom. Just, got distracted I guess." He said gesturing towards the desk and the notebook.

His mom picked it up, flipping through the pages. "These are really good." She muttered.

Tommy felt the tiniest bit of pride swell in him.

His mom glanced up. "Are… are these the things that were downtown?" She asked (hesitant).

"Y-yeah. I, uh, I wanted to draw them, so I could remember what they looked like. I mean, we'll probably never see then again, right?" (liar)

His mom nodded. "Hopefully."

She set the book back down on the desk. Her eyes wandered, landing on the coin. Tommy's breath caught. "What's this?"

"It's nothing!" He said, darting forward and snatching the coin up. "S-sorry, it's just something I found earlier. I, uh, it's kinda fragile."

His mom looked at him oddly, but let it drop.

She stepped away, took a seat on his (plain, so plain) bed. "So, you were downtown then? When it happened I mean?"

Tommy shifted, awkward, before taking a seat in his desk chair. "Yeah, I was, uh, just handing out when that, that thing appeared."

"Well, I'm just glad you're alright." She smiled, trying to be comforting (how can you be comforting, when you deny him like this?).

"Yeah, me too."

She glanced at the notebook again. "So, you saw them? The creatures I mean?"

Of course his mom wouldn't be there. Her work was on the other side of town. He was surprised she got back home as fast as she did. She must have been really worried (that's a first).

"Yeah, I saw it. I was pretty close too." At her concerned look, he quickly amended. "Not too close though. Just enough to see them pretty good, ya know?'

She didn't look convinced, but didn't press. "What do you think they are?" She asked trying to start conversation. (oh, now she's trying to bond).

"I honestly don't know." He answered, shrugging.

"Everyone's talking about it. There's news reporters everywhere. I heard the government is sending in people. And the Red Cross is coming, or something like that."

Tommy shifted in his seat. "I really don't know what to think. It was just, like, two monster fighting for some reason. But they weren't the big one at first. Um, there were five, and then they just… joined up or something."

His mom's gaze wandered off, before landing on him again. "I'm really glad you're safe, Trish." She repeated.

Tommy hid a wince at the name, but offered a small smile anyway. "I'm glad you're safe too." His grin turned a bit teasing. "I mean, who's gonna pay the bills if you're gone?"

His mom laughed, mock punching his shoulder. Like old times, before everything got so complicated.

Her smile faded, then came back, strained, fake. "I gotta go. Make dinner and all that." She stood from his bed, gave him a quick hug, then left the room, leaving the door open a crack.

Tommy pushed the desk chair towards it, the old wheels squeaking on the worn hard wood. He pushed the door closed, his expression neutral, devoid.

That was the best talk he'd had with him mom in years. A talk that didn't end in yelling and tears and broken things.

Tommy leaned back in the chair, sighing through his nose. His eyes closed, a moment of darkness, before opening again. They turned to the coin in his hand, held so carefully.

He didn't know why he held it in such reverence. He just knew it was important.

Some small part of him wondered if it was a bad thing. It was squashed down by his curiosity and that nagging desire to protect it.

"What are you?" Tommy asked again. The coin lit up just the slightest.

It looked like it was laughing at him.

He knew, in that moment, things would never be the same.

* * *

 **A.N.**

Okay, I got this little idea for a trans Tommy from something the cast said. Basically, they want the Green Ranger to be a girl. Three boys, three girls, that kinda thing.

I'm kinda on board with the idea, but then I came up with this little idea. Movies really need to show more trans individuals, and more sexual and gender orientations in general. We don't get enough representation.

I really, _really_ love that Billy is autistic, and Trini is queer. They're really breaking boundaries, a lot more than Beauty and the Beast.

So, my personal head cannon is that Trini is questioning her sexual orientation, but decided that she's bi.

Tommy is female to male trans, and attracted to girls. (I'm actually thinking of a Trini/Tommy ship, though I'm not entirely sure on that yet.) I am very much open to advice on how to build his character, especially if any of you are trans yourself.

Story wise, I'm trying to build my own universe with its own lore. I'm of course taking from the original show, but it's been _years_ since I've watched it, so a lot of what I use will be coming from the website and Wikipedia. I have a feeling this version of Tommy will be a bit different than other version, but I'm really going to try and stay true to the character. Again, any advice on how to write him (or any of them really) is greatly appreciated.

Chapter one will hopefully be coming out soon, maybe several days soon, I'm not sure yet. Keep tuned in for it.

Well, I guess all I can say is please review. You know you wanna. 😉


	2. CHapter One: Rebuilding

**Chapter One: Rebuilding**

* * *

Even a day later, and Angel Grove was still in shock. It would take a while for things to go back to normal, if they ever did. The city just got smacked full in the face that aliens are indeed real (though not everyone agreed what happened _was_ actually aliens).

The government was trying to keep it under wraps. Prevent panic, damage control. Explain away the 'Encounter' with pretty lies and promises.

That's what they were calling it, the Encounter, like some sort of science fiction movie. It kind of was, really. Giant monster fighting, tearing up a little sea-side town. What they don't show you in the movies is the aftermath.

Almost one hundred people lost their lives in the Encounter. Millions of dollars in damages and thousands of people left homeless.

The hospitals were filled with injured, the morgues stacked with bodies, the school gym and central park swelling with the displaced.

Angel Grove was a small town, where everyone knows everyone. Maybe that made it better. The people were more willing to help each other. To lend a hand.

Maybe not.

Either way, life was no longer about the little, mundane things. It was about surviving, and the earth-shattering realization that there was so much more out there than anyone could imagine. And it wasn't entirely benevolent.

No one was even sure that the five colorful beings who defeated the giant gold one were on the side of humanity.

There was a lot of debate on that subject.

It would be weeks, months even, before Angel Grove would be remotely close to back to normal. School was canceled for the foreseeable future, most businesses were shut down, many of the roads were blocked, and a mandatory curfew was in place.

A few hours after the incident, the reporters arrived. Like flies, they were the first to the scene. The next day, less than eight hours after the disaster, a swarm of vehicles arrived. They called themselves Samaritan Relief, and they were a welcome addition to the population of Angel Grove.

They brought food, medical supplies, and organization that was desperately needed.

But of course, their intentions couldn't be pure.

They never were.

* * *

The spaceship was just as cool and dark as always, but unlike when the five of them first walked its halls, the place was a welcome sight for all the Power Rangers.

It was a break from the craziness that their 'normal' lives had become. Not just that though, hiding away in the ship was preferable to having to live amidst the destruction they had helped cause.

Yes, they stopped Rita, destroyed Goldar, and saved the world. But how many had to pay the price?

The ravaged town was a reminder of what they had done, what they had become, and the innocence they'd given up.

The five would have to come to terms with it sooner than later, but for now, they hid away in an alien spaceship buried deep beneath the ground, their only companions an erratic android and a talking wall.

For the past few days they'd come down to the ship to just get away.

The five were in what they'd dubbed 'the Zord Room'. All were perched on their respective vehicle in some shape or form. The massive machines are still pretty beaten up from the fight, but Alpha 5 was working to restore them to their former glory, with the help of a _very_ enthusiastic Billy. The blue Ranger knew more about their prehistoric rides than the rest of the team combined. He'd even gone over some ideas with Alpha on how to improve the Zords, though they'd yet to apply anything.

"We should do something." Jason's words broke through the sullen quiet, pulling the other's attention away from their own depressing thoughts.

"Like what?" Trini asked from her spot perched her saber's head. Her fingers picked at a burn mark on the yellow metal.

Jason shrugged. "I don't know."

Billy pursed his lips, glancing between his friends. "Wasn't your room messed up when Rita went after you?"

Trini gave a bitter laugh. "Yeah. She slammed me against my walls pretty good. It's got a few holes in it now. I need to patch 'em up, just haven't found the time."

"That's it then." Jason said, jumping down from his tyrannosaur's tail. "We'll help you fix your room."

"Huh?" Trini looked genuinely confused.

"It's what friends do, Crazy Girl. They help each other."

Trini's eyes slid down to Zach sitting beside her on his mastodon's tusk. "Friends huh?" She smirked. "Didn't know you knew what those were."

He flicked a pebble at her in retaliation.

"So, is it a plan?" Jason asked.

"I'm free." Kimberly said.

"Me too." Billy grinned.

Zach just raised his hand.

They all turned to Trini, who huffed. "Fine, whatever. You guys can come over and help me fix my room. But I'm warning you, my mom's gonna go nuts over it."

* * *

An hour drive back to town in Kim's car brought them to the Kwan family residence. It normally wouldn't have taken so long, but they had to avoid debris and snake their way through road-blocks and traffic.

Trini was the first to jump out, her fellow Rangers following soon after. "Be prepared. My mom's nuts. So are my brothers."

"I think we can handle it." Said Zach. "If we can handle an army of putties, we can totally handle your family."

Trini scoffed. "You haven't met my family."

Before Zach could answer, Trini unlocked the front door and made her way inside. The other four hurried after her.

"Guuuuys! I'm hoooome!" Trini yelled into the house. Two boys came racing out of a hallway into right into Trini, almost knocking her over. From the same doorway came an older woman who looked a great deal like Trini.

Trini laughed as her little brothers tried to hug the life out of her. "Okay, okay, you can stop trying to strangle me." She grinned.

"We missed you." Said one.

"You're never home."

"It's okay guys. I'm not going anywhere."

She looked up at her mom, who have her a wistful smile. They might not get along, but they were mother and daughter.

"Ok, so I want you to meet my friends. This here is Jason, that's Kimberly, Billy, and Zach. They're pretty awesome."

Her mom came forward, her face a mix of emotions. "So you _do_ have friends."

"Yes mom, I do. They're kinda a recent thing, but I like them, okay?"

The other four stood by awkwardly at the little bit of family drama. Trini _had_ warned them.

"Why didn't you tell me? You never tell me anything. I worry about you."

"Mom, just stop, okay? Please? I really don't need this talk right now. They're here to help me fix up my room."

Mrs. Kwan nodded reluctantly. "Okay, okay. Alright, sorry. Um, why don't you show them to the garage? I think we have some things in there, to fix the wall. If not, I can drive you to Home Depot or something."

"It's fine Mrs. Kwan, I have a car, if we do need to drive anywhere." Kimberly said.

Trini pushed her way past her mom. "Com'on guys, garage is this way."

"Well I can see when I'm not wanted. Come here boys, let Trini have fun with her friends." Mrs. Kwan said.

Trini grabbed Billy and Kim's arms and pulled them through the house, the other two boys following behind.

"Well that was awkward." Said Zach when they were a safe distance away.

"Tell me about it." Trini grumbled.

"Is she always like that?" Asked Kim.

Trini sighed. "Pretty much, yeah."

Kim winced. "Sorry."

"Don't be, I'm used to it." She stopped in front of a door, letting go of Kim and Billy as she did. "Anyway, we're here." Trini opened the door and the five stepped inside. They rummaged around for supplies to fill up the holes in Trini's walls, as well as paint to cover it up. It took a few minutes longer than expected because said supplies were hidden in the back of a cabinet, but eventually they had what they needed.

Trini then lead her teammates to her room to begin on the repairs.

The room was pretty busted up, with several giant dents in the plaster of her walls.

Zach whistled when he saw the damage. "Rita sure did a number on these."

"Yeah, tell me about it. I still have bruises."

Billy lifted a brow. "Really? Cuz our healing's _way_ better than a normal human. Most of my bruises from the fight are gone now."

Trini rolled her eyes. "I was just exaggerating dude."

"You know I don't get that sort of thing."

Jason gave Billy a pat on the shoulder. "It's okay, we get it."

"Yeah don't sweat it dude." Zach added. "Anyway, we should probably start on cleaning this stuff up."

The group started by moving things out of the way, as directed by Trini. When the area around the busted walls was cleared, they set down newspaper to catch any dripping paint.

Next, they started on filling in the holes with plaster and sanding it down. An hour in the group realized they were missing some things, so Zach 'volunteered' Kim and Jason to drive to the store to buy the required materials.

Once the red and pink Ranger were out of the house, Trini startled to giggle. "How long do you think it'll take them to realize?" She laughed.

Zach shrugged. "They're both kinda dense. I'd say a month at least."

"I'll take that bet."

Zach grinned. "Oh, you are so on." He turned to Billy. "What about you man? How long do you think it'll take for them to get together?"

Billy shrugged. "Err, well I'm not exactly good at understanding relationships, or human behavior in general, but a couple months I guess? Maybe sooner, if there's another world ending event."

Zach raised an eyebrow. "You think something like Rita and Goldar is going to happen again?"

"Statistically speaking, yes. Besides, Rita did say others would come. From what I understand about the history of the Power Rangers, the teams before us made a lot of enemies. It won't matter to them that we're a new team, they're gonna be coming after us."

"Well shit."

Trini nodded in agreement. "This superhero gig just keeps getting better and better." She sighed. "Whatever, one day at a time. We're a team now. We'll get through it."

The conversation dissolved into idle chit-chat until Jason and Kimberly returned over an hour later.

"The store was almost empty." Jason explained. "And traffic was killer."

"Everyone must have the same idea as us, fixing up their homes." Kimberly added. "We barely got this much."

Regardless, the five were able to restore Trini's room to its former glory by the end of the day.

The five agreed to meet up again tomorrow at the ship. With that, they hugged the yellow Ranger goodbye, and Kim drove the rest of the team home.

All in all, it had been a good day.

* * *

Billy sat in his basement late that night, tinkering with an old radio. He hadn't been sleeping well lately. Nightmares kept him up. Horrible dreams of Rita, the battle against Goldar, dying.

He was scared to close his eyes sometimes, else the memories come rising back up from his subconscious to torment him all over again.

More and more he'd come down to the basement to build things, just like he did after his dad died. He'd had nightmare then too, but none so vivid as the ones now.

Billy set down his screwdriver to reach over and take a sip from a mug of coffee. He'd been drinking a lot of the stuff recently too, to help keep him awake. Billy had always been a bit of an insomniac. It came with his over-active mind, always running through theories and equations. It normally took forever for his brain to shut down enough for him to sleep. But with the addition of nightmares, he'd barely gotten a few hours since the battle several days ago.

Before that, when they'd been training for hours on end every day, he'd been too tired to do much other than collapse in bed and fall right asleep. But Zordon had decided the five deserved a few days rest after their victory, and called off training for a week. They'd start up again in two days, it already having been five since the defeat of Rita. Billy didn't know about the others, but he was relieved to be returning to training. To get back to their new normal, ease into the life that had been thrust upon them, the life that was so much better than he'd ever had before.

Yeah, he had nightmares, ones so bad that he'd wake his mom up screaming. But he had friends now, and a purpose. For so long he'd just gone through the motions, just like he knew the other Rangers had. But now he could _do_ something, _be_ something. Something more than their weirdo Billy Cranston.

And that was worth all the nightmares and more.

* * *

In another house, Jason too was awake and working through his frustrations, this time on his totaled car. He didn't have the mechanical talents of Billy, but Jason had a decent understanding of how to fix his truck. Currently he was working on straightening out the dents, while still trying to be as quite as he could as not to wake up his family.

His Ford Ranger (how ironic) wasn't being cooperative that night. In anger, Jason threw a wrench at the truck, causing yet another dent. He swore.

"Having trouble there?"

Jason spun around, body tensed, ready for a fight. He relaxed when he was his dad standing in the doorway.

"I didn't mean to wake you." Jason apologized.

His dad waved him off. "I was already up, don't worry." He eyed the damaged car. "You're doing pretty well so far. It certainly looks better than before."

"Thanks."

The fell into an awkward silence. "Uh, was there something you wanted?" Jason asked at last. He winced at how the words came out. _Could have worded that better._

"Just checking on you. Making sure you're doing okay."

"I'm _fine_." Jason shook his head. "Sorry. I didn't mean…"

"No, it's okay. A lot's happened."

"Yeah, but I could have said it nicer."

His dad smiled wearily. "Yeah, well we could all do a lot of things differently. I'm sorry, that I'm not always there for you. I just want what's best for you."

Jason nodded slowly, avoiding his father's eyes. "Yeah, and I get that. It's just that what you think is best for me might not be what actually _is_ best. You gotta trust me."

His dad sighed. "I know, I know. You just don't have the best track record on good decisions."

Jason laughed. "Yeah, I guess not. I just… I don't know. I guess I just want people to remember me for _me,_ and not my screw ups."

His dad walked over to stand beside him. "They will, if you give them something to remember." He said as he put a hand on Jason's shoulder. "Just make sure it's something you can be proud of." He gave Jason's shoulder a squeeze before stepping back into the house.

"I'm trying." Jason said to the empty night air. "I'm trying."

* * *

Kimberly sat on her bed, computer in her lap as she scrolled through news feeds about the Encounter. It was interesting, reading what people thought verses what really happened.

It was all that anyone was talking about. The government was hesitant to label it as aliens, or even come out with a concrete explanation at all, so theories were running wild. What they were saying was that they had it under control, that no one needed to panic, that everything was going to be alright.

But the Encounter wasn't something they could just brush under the rug, or even explain away. There were photos and videos, not to mention the destroyed remnants of the putties and small puddles left of Goldar's massive form.

They'd managed to take the Zeo Crystal and place it within the ship for safe keeping and out of human hands, but that wouldn't stop the government from looking. Kimberly knew humans were destructive by nature. She just had to look at the countless wars throughout history to see that.

Human beings were always looking for new and better ways of killing each other. The Rangers could _not_ allow them to use their technology to do that.

Kimberly snapped her laptop closed and set it aside. So much had changed in so short a time. A month ago her biggest worry was school and cheer and what people thought of her. Now her worries consisted of who would come after Rita, and if the Power Rangers would be strong enough to defeat them.

If they hadn't formed the Megazord, then everyone would have died. Who's to say their new trump card would be enough next time?

And Kimberly knew there would be a next time. She wasn't so oblivious to think that becoming a Ranger wouldn't have consequences. If Rita knew about them, who knew what else would?

She had to be prepared for when, not if, the next monster came. They all did.

* * *

Zach sat on top of the trail home he and his mom shared. Recently he'd been spending a lot more time at home, being with his mom. The fight with Rita made him realize just how fragile life was. He _knew_ his mom was dying. That any day could be her last. But it wasn't until he'd almost died fighting against Goldar that he realized how his absence was effecting his mom. He kept away because he was scared, but it never occurred to him, not really, what it might be doing to her.

So now he spent and the time he could with her. Sitting beside her, talking, playing chess, watching television. Just being _together._ He'd even stopped leaving at night, just in case she needed him. Yes, he was still terrified of waking up to find her gone, but he owed it to her to be there.

That didn't stop him from spending his nights outside, looking at the stars and trying to forget.

It just meant he was doing it on his roof instead of miles away on an abandoned train car.

Zach leaned back onto the cold metal of the mobile home roof as he stared up at the brilliant stars. He idly wondered which one Zordon came from. He knew the former Red Ranger was an alien. All their predecessors were. But Zordon didn't like talking about his former team more than necessary.

It might have been sixty-five million years ago that Rita had killed the old Rangers, but to Zordon it hadn't even been a month. The wounds were still fresh.

Zach hoped that one day their mentor would open up to them, but for now he was alright with the mystery.

Yeah, he was curious about the previous black Ranger, but that curiosity could wait until Zordon felt like talking.

And if that turned out to be never, well, Zach guessed that was okay too. His team was his family, and Zordon was part of that team.

He was family.

* * *

The house was quite when Trini snuck out her window. She'd had yet another nightmare about Rita attacking her in her room, and she once again couldn't fall back asleep. It was becoming a regular thing, and Trini knew she wouldn't feel safe in her bedroom for a while. So, like she'd done every night since, Trini climbed up onto her roof, the trek made easy by her new abilities, and sat down to wait the night out.

It seemed that the power coins hadn't just granted them super speed and strength, but endurance and the ability to function on far less sleep. It also meant she ate a _lot_ more than she used to. It seemed that super heroes burned much more calories than the average teenager.

Trini slipped on her headphones and started to meditate to the sound of Revocation. She breathed in, and then out, easing her heartbeat and relaxing her body.

Meditation and yoga had become her go-to release when her parents upset her several years ago. It helped clear her mind and disperse the anger she often felt after the arguments with her mother.

It was after one such fight that she'd fled to the mountains to unwind when she's been torn out of her meditation by an explosion. That was the night she'd met the others, the night her life had changed forever.

And Trini couldn't find it in her to regret a single thing.

She was just glad that this was her last year of high school. Because even if her family moved away like they had so many times before, she was staying right here in Angel Grove with the other Rangers.

They were her friends, the first she'd had in a very, very long time. And she wasn't ever letting that go.

They were her family now, for as long as they would have her.

* * *

 **A.N.** There we have it, chapter one. I'll be pulling a few things from the graphic novel sequel to the movie, Power Rangers: Aftershock. There's already a little easter egg in there from the novel.

Not a whole lot this chapter, just covering what happened after the battle, and getting a look into the Ranger's minds. I'm not entirely happy with this chapter, but it serves its purpose.

Anyway, hopefully the next one will be out just as soon. I thank all of you for your reads, favorites, follows, and reviews. Till next time.


End file.
